title: Strain-responsive structural colored elastomers by fixing colloidal crystal assembly.
abstract: Colloidal crystal assembly film was prepared by using monodispersed colloidal particles of cross-linked random copolymer of methyl methacrylate and ethyl acrylate prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization. The colloidal crystal film exhibited structural color when swollen with ethyl acrylate monomer. The structural color was maintained even after polymerization of the swelling monomer and cross-linker, suggesting the colloidal crystalline order was successfully fixed and embedded in the matrix of poly(ethyl acrylate) elastomer. Stretching deformation of the structural colored elastomer induced a sensitive change to shorter wavelength color. Peak wavelength of the UV-vis absorption spectrum of the stretched elastomer revealed an excellent proportional relationship with film thickness. In the swollen colloidal crystal film, ethyl acrylate was absorbed in the colloidal particle; therefore, poly(ethyl acrylate) chain should be penetrating into the colloidal particle after the polymerization of the matrix elastomer. This interpenetrated polymer network structure was considered to be effective for the rubber-like elasticity and sensitive strain-responsive color-changing phenomena of the structural colored elastomer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology , Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katsura
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inomata